Overlapping Histogram method for testing Edward's Statistical Mechanics of Powders

摘要

We present a new way to test the applicability of Edward's statistical mechanics of powders using overlapping volume histograms. We use this method to analyze data from numerical simulations and experiments of granular compaction. The volume histograms do indeed have the form predicted by the theory. This is a nontrivial success for the theory. We are also able to extract the entropy for a wide range of volumes.